Comments on the Mother City Book Festival

Rachelle Greeff

bekroonde skrywer en joernalis

Dis ‘n ongemaklike gevoel, daai een waar jy ontdek niemand in jou gehoor het nog ooit van jou gehoor nie en het nie die vermoë en/of die lus om jou ooit te lees nie. Dit stamp jou uit jou comfort zone. Smyt jou van heel bo uit jou ivoortorinkie. Maak ‘n toiletpapiertjie of twee van jou paar literêre pryse.

Maar dit vat jou kop op ‘n uitstappie na ‘n plek met lekker, nuwe suurstof.

Dis hoekom dit my verstand te bowe gaan dat mense kla oor taalkwessies rondom die stad se nuwelingboekefees. Dit is min of meer fantasties dat ons hoegenaamd ‘n Mother City Book Festival het – boonop een met belofte van groei – én dat soveel skrywers en agter-die-skerms-mense hulle tyd en kennis gratis hiervoor gee.

Ons het niks om te verloor nie, maar hope om te wen. Skrywers, lesers, mense in die boekebedryf, almal.

Ek weet nie wie die klaers is nie, maar dalk spruit dit meer uit eiebelang en eie ego as iets anders. Is die primêre doel van ‘n boekefees om boeke en lees in die algemeen te bevorder of te bou aan die profiel van individuele skrywers?

In ‘n veeltalige stad met beperkte finansiële hulpbronne en heelwat stadsmoeders en -vaders wat (vermoedelik) nie ‘n snars vir die kunste omgee nie, is daar nie ‘n keuse wat die aanbiedingstaal van ‘n stadsboekefees aanbetref nie. Ons moet dit eenvoudig doen in die gemene-deler-taal en in hierdie stad, nou, is dit Engels.

Ek het by Delft se biblioteek gaan lees en gesels. Al “wit’’ persoon, terloops. Delft is nie glamorous nie en Delft is bietjie uit die pad. Daar was net dertig mense, maar daar was heluit entoesiasme, lewe en gelag. Ek het daar weggery met nuwe insigte oor wat verskillende mense in die Wes-Kaap as poësie of stories definieer, en watter diep kloof steeds bestaan tussen ‘n groepie boekentoesiaste in Oranjezicht, Tuine, en een in Delft. Twee wêrelde, twee tale, twee en nooit nie een nie, het ek ietwat bedruk agterna gevoel.

Wat wel ernstig aangespreek moet word, is die afwesigheid van skoolkinders in die gehoor. Nes in die pas afgelope boekeweek gereël deur The Centre for The Book. Ek en Diana Awerbuck was vandeesweek by Wynberg-biblioteek en by Southfield. Powere bywoning, met net twee skoolkinders. Is dit hoegenaamd geadverteer en doelbewus onder die aandag van taalonderwysers gebring? Lyk nie so nie. Wat dit aanbetref is daar ook nog baie werk vir die Mother City Book Festival-organiseerders.

Niq Mhlongo

author of Dog Eat Dog and ex-Fairlady intern

I didn't see most of the proceedings except for the item on Saturday where I was scheduled to appear with Rayda Jacobs and Katy Bauer - Fairlady's "Conversations With Women" Lunch. One of the questions that I was asked by the audience was to give my opinion about the Wynberg Library that no longer orders Xhosa books because no one reads them. The person was asking about the fact that African parents nowadays encourage their children to read in English and not in Xhosa. I could not answer this question directly or adequately - except to say that it is a trend among African parents nowadays to encourage their children to read in English because English is the language of business.It was the only proceeding I attended and it will be unfair for me to make a comment about what I didn't see, but I will say the Durban Festival I attended in April, which is similar in nature, featured mostly indigenous African language writers, like Shona, Zulu, Xhosa, Tshivenda etc. There were also writers from outside SA who wrote in French, Portugueese etc, and I felt it was more inclusive. It was successful and it would have been great if the Mother City Books Festival included more indegenous writers because the culture of reading in South Africa must be influenced in all languages.

Michelle Matthews

publishing manager of Oshun Books, Struik's women's imprint

I have seen this issue touched on at the Festival, specifically at the launch, and there are some events where I've heard that languages other than English will be represented. Last year the Festival was organised around women writers, this year the net has been thrown wider, and I believe there will be even more diversity next year. Still, the organisers, although book lovers, are not “agenda” types and I think the language issue was possibly just something they did not focus too much on when doing the daunting job of pulling this quite varied programme together. It's a very “popular” programme and I agree that there should be more events in other languages, so that more of the general public can indulge. As far as I'm aware, there is nothing stopping that from happening from the organisers’ side. Oshun got involved by approaching the organisers and saying, “We'd like to get involved”, suggesting topics/events and helping get together what was necessary to make them happen. I'm sure Hippo Communications would be thrilled to hear from other publishers, writing groups, authors, workshop facilitators, newsletter editors etc with great ideas that they can implement for next year's festival.

Beryl Eichenberger

HIPPO Communications - Mother City Book Festival event organisers

As the organisers of the event we made every effort to be all-inclusive, but with lack of funding it is very difficult to attract authors who may not live in the province to come at their own expense.

There is also the problem of other commitments, where some of our best-known authors (Antjie Krog, for example) were not available.

We are determined that in the future we will have a broad mix of authors, but this is so dependent on funds or publishers being willing to bring authors to the event. It appears that once authors are published, launched and on the bookshelves it is very much up to them to continue marketing themselves, a problem in this country because of the small print runs and small reading public.

The Afrikaans publishers seemed to be reluctant to assist, but we were able to get some very enthusiastic participants (authors and speakers) for a panel discussion on "Is Afrikaans a dying language?" which was a great event attended by very few members of the public!

In our first year of presenting the Festival as the Celebrate Women Book Festival we had Afrikaans authors at several events which were publicised through Die Burger but, as paid events, drew very little support. We are open to ANY suggestions and welcome this type of feedback so that we can improve on the public offering.

Click here to read Abner Nyamende's article about The Mother City Book Festival and indigenous South African languages.

LitNet: 26 September 2005

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